MOSCOW (Reuters) – A senior commander of Russia’s Chechen forces fighting in Ukraine has been wounded, Russia’s Defence Ministry television channel Zvezda reported on Wednesday, citing the press service of the State Duma lower house of parliament.
Adam Delimkhanov, who is a member of the Duma as well as commander of the Chechen division of the Russian national guard, is widely seen as the Caucasian region’s second most senior official, behind Ramzan Kadyrov.
In a message posted on Telegram, Kadyrov wrote that he could not contact Delimkhanov, and asked for help finding his “dear brother”.
Reuters was unable to contact Delimkhanov or Kadyrov. The State Duma’s press service did not answer its telephone number. Delimkhanov’s parliamentary assistant said she had no information.
Delimkhanov, a former Chechen separatist who eventually switched sides to Moscow along with much of the region’s leadership, had taken a prominent role in Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, commanding Chechen forces in Mariupol in the conflict’s early days.
Ukrainian media had, earlier on Wednesday, reported that Delimkhanov had been killed in an artillery strike in southern Ukraine.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
